Universal tone-arm.



L. MABKELS. UNIVERSAL TONE ARM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I6. I915.

Patented Dec. 19, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I- IIIllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII a IIIIII 'JII WITNESSES.-

L. MARKELS.

UNIVERSAL TONE ARM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. l6. l9|5 Patented Dec. 19, 1916.

INVE/VTUR [eonard/Warkels W/ T IVE SSE S:

A TTOR/V E Y UNITED STATES rkTnaT @FFTQE.

LEONARD MARKELS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO CHAMPION GRAPHAPHONECOMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

UNIVERSAL TONE-ARM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented De 19, 11916.

Application filed April 16, 1915. Serial No. 21,719.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that .I, LEONARD MARKELS, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city'of New York, borough of Manhattan, in thecounty and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved UniversalTone-Arm, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to a tone arm for phonographs of the disk typeand has to deal more particularly with an arm of that class which isprovided with a reproducer holder whereby the reproducer can be set .foroperating on disk records having a lat- 15- erally waved groove or avertically waved groove. 1

The general objects of the invention are to improve and simplify theconstruction of tone arms of the character referred to so as i to bereliable and efiicient in use, comparatively simple and inexpensive tomanufacture and so designed that the reproducer can be quickly andreliably adjusted to either of its two operative positions.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide novel andeffective means for locking the reproducer-carrying member of the arm inposition with the diaphragm held for operation on either type of record,and

yet by simple movements of the outer member first longitudinally andthen rotary the said. member can be adjusted to its other position andeffectively locked against turning.

With such objects in View, and others which will appear asthedescription proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth withparticularity in the fol-lowing description and claim appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of theinvention and wherein similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views, Figure 1 is a plan view of aphonograph with the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a side view ofthe tone arm with thereproducer set for operation on a record having alaterally waved sound groove; Fig. 3 is a similar View showing thereproducer set for a record having a vertically waved sound groove; Fig.4 is an enlarged sectional view on the line H, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is avertical section when the reproducer is set in dottedline position(Fig. 1) and Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views respectively on the lines66 and 77, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the tone arm of the phonograph,which is constructed and movably mounted in the usual manner so as tomove over the record B carried on the usual turntable C. The outer endof the tone arm has a socket 1 disposed at an angle to a vertical planesimilar to the angle that the needle requires, this socket 1 being openboth at its top and b0ttom and communicating with the passage of the armA, so that sound waves can pass therethrough. Rotatably mounted in thesocket is the straight portion 2 of the elbow member 3 which carries anordinary reproducer l). The straight portion 2 of the member 3 has twoopenings 4 and 5 disposed with their centers about ninety degrees apart,so that the member 3 will always communicate with the arm A when themember 3 is adjusted to throw the reproducer D from the full to thedotted line position, Fig. l, or vice versa, or to the position shown inFigs. 2 and 3, whereby records of any well known make can be used withthe needle 6 of the reproducer in itsaproper angular position withrespect to the plane of the record disk. The reproducer-carrying member3 has a screw plug 7 threaded in its upper end, and this screw has aknurled head 8 projecting circumferentially so as to engage the upperedge of the socket 1. This head projects beyond the circumferentialsurface of the socket 1 so that the head can be conveniently graspedbetween the thumb and forefinger to enable the reproducer-carryingmember to be pulled upwardly or longitudinally in the socket memher 1for shifting the member 1 to its different positions. The reproducer isheld in either of its desired positions by means of a locking pin 9engageable in either of two slots 10 and 11 extending longitudinally anddownwardly in the socket from the upper edge. This pin 9 can be removedby unscrewing from the straight portion 2 of the member 3, and then whenthe screw plug 7 is removed the member 3 can be taken out by beingpulled downwardly out of the socket 1. To adjust the reproducer themember 3 is moved upwardly to disengage the pin 9 from one slot, andthen the member is rotated through ninety degrees to bringthe pin 9 intoalinement with the other slot, when the reproducer-carrying member ismoved downwardly to engage the member 9 in such other slot.

Although the invention has been shown as of suchv design as to enable asingle tone arm to hold a reproducer in position for operating on eitherof the types of record referred to, there are certain features of theinvention which are useful in tone arms where the reproducer is notadjustable. It will be noted that the straight portion 2 of the member 3is exteriorly smooth and is freely slidable longitudinally of thesocket 1. This is advantageous, as the reproducer will be free to riseand fall with the unevenness of the revolving turntable or record tabletthereon, this being especially true in that type of tone arm where thejoint between the latter and the sound box admits of only a horizontalswinging motion. Of course when the arm 3 is not supposed to berotatably adjustable only one slot 10 or 11 is provlded in the socket 1to receive the pin 9, which latter keys the reproducer-carrying member 3in place against rotation, but allows the said arm to move up and downin the socket 1. To permit of the up and down movement of the member 3in the outer end of the arm A, the fit of the parts will be loose enoughto prevent binding.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the advantages ofthe construction and method of operation willbe readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the inventionappertains', and while I have described the principle of operation,together with the device which I now consider, to be the best embodimentthereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merelyillustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as fallwithin the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent: V i

A phonograph tone arm having a socket on its extremity and open at itsto and bottom and inclined at an angle to t c axis of the arm, an elbowmember having a straight portion slidable longitudinally and rotatablyin the socket, a reproducer on the said elbowv member, said sockethaving in its upper end a pair of slotsextending vertically, a pin onthe elbow member engageable in either of the said slots, the said pinbeing removable to permit the removal of the member from the socket, anda screw plug threaded in the upper end of the said member and having ahead of larger diameter than the external diameter of the socket to formmeans whereby the member can be gripped for adjusting the same.

- In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

LEONARD MARKELS.

